Meurtres à... S11E07, "Meurtres à Nîmes"

"Meurtres à Nîmes" (Murders in Nimes), runtime 1:30:53 Subtitles download link

Nîmes makes for the second Roman city (after Arles) to be featured in Meurtres à's current season on France.tv. I was happy to find it on YouTube, however briefly. A couple is making out near the historic Magne Tower when they make a grisly discovery:  the body of a man wearing a gladiator costume, impaled on a sword. 

Leading the investigation is Capt Bérenice Pernetti, played by Juliette Plumecocq-Mech— whose craggy, world-weary face has to be one of the most fascinating physiognomies on French TV right now.

Juliette Plumecocq-Mech (L) as Bérenice, and Tiphaine Daviot as Alix, at the Pont du Gard.

It's Pernetti's last case before retirement, and her replacement Alix Madrigal is late on her first day. The duo are led to shows performed at an ancient amphitheatre (shades of “Meurtres à Arles”) and a motley cast of suspects: restoration experts, University alumni, a ranch hand (“Arles” again), an investigative journalist, and a professor, all leading to a very old coverup.

The Nîmes Amphitheatre and Roman gladiators are a big part of the Nîmes identity. Fights are staged regularly for tourists, with a pause for COVID.

The B story is Pernetti's search for the hit-and-run driver who killed her daughter three-and-a-half years ago.  The C story involves Madrigal and her son, who is Deaf, and whether to let the father into their lives.

NOTES

Yes, the guy does say 'the cow' (1'40"), but it also can mean 'Oh my god.'

Xantus (5'26") was a real gladiator who had 15 victories. He's one of two fighters who appear on a terracotta medallion in the Nîmes Archeology Museum.  He lived sometime from the late 200s to early 300s AD. He was a retiarius, meaning that he fought with a trident and a net.

Here's a nice one: un grain de sable dans le désert (23'36"), 'a grain of sand in the desert.' A needle in a haystack.

Plumecocq-Mech and Daviot, with Myriam Bourguignon as Victoria.

Another historic structure important to the story:  the Pont du Gard (40'14") is a triple-decker Roman aqueduct, located 5 miles northeast of Nimes.

A casier is a locker (50'22"), but it's also short for casier judiciaire, criminal record. 

The full Latin name of a gladiatorial show's 'Editor' (68'12") was Editor Muneris, sort of an impresario of the show, who also could be the one who gave the thumbs up or down at the end.

Top départ (84'25") means 'Starting signal,' like in a race. In the US we just say Go.

Un caractère de cochon (86'13") literally means 'pig character,' but it can also mean 'a terrible temper.'